The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 2 is not coming in January 2023

Last year saw the release of The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power, Amazon’s new Lord of the Rings prequel series. Set during the Second Age of Middle-earth, The Rings of Power told the story of the dark lord Sauron’s return to form after falling into anonymity following the events of the Firtst Age. By the time the curtain fell on the season, the show’s sprawling cast had all set off in different directions; from Nori Brandyfoot and the Stranger left to explore the mysterious land of Rhûn, Galadriel and the elves forged the first rings of power, and the dwarves were delving too greedily and deep beneath Kazad Dhûm.

It all makes for an exciting wait for season 2. Yet it may be a little while before we return to Middle-earth to see what trouble Sauron, Nori, Galadriel and all the rest get into.

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power release date news

The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is a monstrously huge show and season 1 only finished airing in October, so it should come as no surprise that we won’t be getting season 2 during January of 2023. We do have at least a rough idea of when we’ll see it though; enough to know that we shouldn’t expect it in 2023 at all, but rather sometime in 2024.

But why do we have to wait so long? Why won’t The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power be back in 2023?

“I don’t know that I can say,” Amazon exec Vernon Sanders told Collider. “It would be amazing if we could get season 2 out within a year of season 1’s release. It may take a smidge longer than that, but we’re doing everything we can, and we’re going to get better and faster as we go.”

Sanders went on to say that the production is moving along well and is more efficient than it was during season 1, but there’s still a lot more work to do. As of this writing, The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power is currently filming its second season at Bray Studios in the UK. Taking two years between seasons is becoming the norm for a lot of these big-budget fantasy shows, including The Rings of Power.

There have been some interesting production developments to mull over in the meantime, though. A slew of new cast members were announced last month, most notable among them Sam Hazeldine, who will be replacing Game of Thrones veteran Joseph Mawle as the corrupted elf Adar in season 2. It was also announced that The Rings of Power season 2 will consist of eight episodes and feature an all-female directing team. Charlotte Brändström, the director behind season 1’s big battle in the Southlands, will be directing four episodes.

With dark forces on the rise in Middle-earth, we’ll be keeping watch for any new updates. The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power season 1 is streaming now on Prime Video.

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